Astroturf is the name of the original brand of artificial turf -- astroturfing has become a political term that means to use a group of people to push an agenda or spread disinformation while concealing the actual instigators. Ironically the City Fields Foundation (CFF) “Team” started astroturfing with a vengeance. They sent out mass emails exhorting their supporters to take action, saying things such as “I can't emphasize enough your importance in this process”, “present en masse to the Commission”, “we're counting on you to muscle up our collective power”.

Hirsch & Clemens strategize

Hirsch, Hannan, Ginsburg, and now political lobbyist Alex Clemens of Barbary Coast Consulting, were leading the charge. They organized strategy sessions and rallies for recruiting and coaching followers. In 2011, mass emails were sent throughout the Bay Area encouraging supporters to gather for a free chicken dinner and a strategy session. “Bring two or three people”, one email said. The session was conducted by Clemens, Hirsch, Ginsburg, Hannan, and other CFF staff. Individuals who showed up but wouldn’t sign their CFF petition supporting SBR synthetic turf were dis-invited and made to leave.

Ginsburg and Avalos hug at a CFF event.

Speaking about a 2011 San Francisco Mayoral debate in which CFF supporters from outside of San Francisco were encouraged to attend -- candidate John Avalos noted, “I saw the email encouraging soccer enthusiasts from around the Bay Area to pack the forum.” Almost unanimously though, Avalos and other City Supervisors and other San Francisco City officials were giving their friends at CFF a free pass.

Pediatricians & health experts [clik pic]

For years, City Supervisors and other government officials had been presented by the public with an abundance of scientific data and reports that contradicted the claims and skewed conclusions of the memos and reports being presented to them by CFF. City officials had received research about styrene butadiene (SBR) showing the risks of cancer and those associated with toxic chemicals and how the risks especially affected children.

The findings of cancer risks were supported by conclusions from organizations such as the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the World Health Organization.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Yet the Supervisors conducted virtually no investigative follow-up. – (Instead, the Supervisors did find time to spend hours in prolonged debates on items such as public nudity, Happy Meal toys, and impeaching the President of the United States).